14 votes

Can we erase problematic memories to aid recovery from depression?

Yes, I understand you. I have been fighting a depression myself for the past months, although it must have gone on longer than that, undiagnosed. I know how it feels, and understand how you just want ...
  • 2,770
8 votes
Accepted

What are the symptoms of depression/ OCD / suicidal depression? How we can identify a person by his behavior?

The most credible source for diagnosis and evaluation of mental conditions is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is published and updated every few years by the ...
  • 1,608
7 votes
Accepted

Are there any studies that suggest mental disorders can manifest physically?

Mental disorders are often accompanied by physical symptoms. However, it is of course difficult to determine whether this is the mental disorder causing the symptoms or it usually "co-appearing" ...
  • 7,001
6 votes

Is cognitive behavioral therapy actually effective?

YES, according to: The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) of the United States and National Heath Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a clinically ...
  • 4,866
6 votes

Can ElectroConvulsive Therapy help us to forget our memories?

Is it possible to forget our past(bad memories) through Electroconvulsive Therapy? No. To simplify somewhat, ECT is associated with: immediate general cognitive and memory dysfunction represented ...
5 votes
Accepted

How to keep the brain in an excited state?

What worked for me (and many others!) was exercise. After trying many antidepressants, I tried running. What got me motivated was an old article that I read about a clinical trial done by the ...
5 votes

Does hyperthyroidism affect serotonin levels?

Thyroid function and serotonin activity are highly linked. Serotonin stimulates hypothalamic TRH (Thyroid Releasing Hormone) production, leading to an increase in TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) ...
  • 958
5 votes

How to deal with winter blues

This answer is based on the fact that you have been in a region with less sunlight for several years and continue to suffer. It therefore focuses on Seasonal Affective Disorder, which you may or may ...
  • 7,001
5 votes

Does sitting idle for one month without work lead to depression?

I've suffered from depression quite a few years in my life. One basic long-term cause I have found is my basic worldview - whether I see reality as fundamentally "good" or "bad". This takes a long ...
4 votes

Will an increased dosage of Quetiapine increase somnolence?

Seroquel (quetiapine) is quite well known to cause perhaps the most sedation among all the drugs in the 'atypical antipsychotic' class of medication due to its strong histamine and alpha receptor ...
4 votes

Is there a term for depression that is not persistent?

Since you mention several of these episodes weeks apart, a few possible diagnosis come to my mind: One possible diagnosis for a person with these symptoms could be (rapid cycling) bipolar disorder. ...
  • 7,001
4 votes

Can low libido be a side-effect of schizoprenia medications?

Yes they can. Co-occurring conditions like depression may also contribute to low libido. This is a good article that discusses the details. The mechanisms by which antipsychotic drugs may cause ...
  • 5,714
3 votes
Accepted

Is cognitive behavioral therapy actually effective?

I came across a similar question in Psychology.SE whilst researching CBT for a course I was studying. The short answer As I will cover in the long answer, there has been a lot of articles stating ...
  • 6,114
3 votes
Accepted

Confusing thoughts/depression

Professional Advice is vital Psychologist: I know you said you can’t afford to see a psychologist, and I can’t judge you. I don’t know of your financial background and costs of health care in your ...
  • 6,722
3 votes

How to keep the brain in an excited state?

Definitely, exercise. Any form. Running is often mentioned because of "runner's high," but I have bad knees so... I walk. I walk with earbuds and listen to my favorite music. I change where I walk and ...
  • 131
3 votes

How long do you have to take an SSRI for before PSSD becomes a risk?

This is currently impossible to answer definitely. There is further a difference between 'could become a risk' and 'will likely be a risk'. Only now are even the warnings about the long established ...
  • 6,827
3 votes
Accepted

Is cannabidiol safe to treat depression of a patient with a schizoaffective disorder?

First of all, you have to be aware that most studies cited are on animals, not humans. Applicability of that data for humans is limited. Second, this molecule is interacting with all kinds of tissues ...
  • 6,827
3 votes
Accepted

What are "baseline chronic risk factors" in a table describing levels of suicidality risk in a scientific paper?

They are referring to chronic (long-lasting) influences on acute (immediate) risk of suicide (this is relevant because they're talking about immediate intervention steps to take; if you were ...
  • 12.9k
2 votes

Does more time off from work increase mental happiness

More vacation time will come at the expense of a higher daily workload, which can cause even more stress, see e.g. here. If you can work 8 hours a day, exercise, eat dinner and go to bed on time, ...
  • 2,218
2 votes
Accepted

Side effects of smoking cessation

A recent review looked at 26 studies that examined mental state after smoking cessation. The review found LESS depression among people who quit, not more. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/...
2 votes
Accepted

Do some psychiatrists/psychologists still treat severe depression with electric-shock-therapy (ECT)?

Also provided at the Medscape webpage linked by @GrahamChiu, Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been demonstrated by the American Psychiatric Association to be an effective and safe treatment for ...
  • 6,114
2 votes

Do some psychiatrists/psychologists still treat severe depression with electric-shock-therapy (ECT)?

Approximately 100,000 patients annually receive ECT in the United States. and In the United States, ECT is most commonly performed 3 times per week regardless of electrode placement. [1] More ...
  • 13.2k
2 votes

How to I overcome extreme anxiety without medication?

Stress- relief techniques can help manage anxiety... specific ones to incorporate based on anxiety are... Mindful meditation as shown by the study in this article... http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/...
  • 229
2 votes

What is the definition of Suicidal Ideation?

Thoughts about wanting to die or killing oneself do constitute suicidal ideation. Ideation is defined as the process of forming ideas or images. So that applied to suicide or wanting to die = ...
  • 5,714
2 votes

Mental disorders - where to go?

National Alliance for Mental Illness - NAMI (Main Line, PA) quotes an article from SAMHSA: Therapy is a collaborative process, so finding the right match-someone with whom you have a sense of ...
  • 2,823
2 votes

When is guilt in depression considered psychotic?

According to DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 819) a delusion is a "false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly held despite what almost everyone ...
2 votes

Antidepressant response post MAOI tachyphylaxis

All Anti-Depressants poop out equally for TR patients. Having just now signed up on this site, it seems a prerequisite to post is that you ought to have at least minimally researched the question, ...
2 votes

What is the relationship between cortisol and depression?

TL;DR There isn't really a scientific consensus. There appears to be a connection between cortisol and depression, but cortisol anomalies appear neither necessary nor sufficient for depression The ...
  • 6,722

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